Brian London
| Brian London | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Brian Sydney Harper |
| Nickname(s) | The Blackpool Rock, The British Bulldog |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Nationality | British |
| Born |
19 June 1934 West Hartlepool, County Durham, England |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 58 |
| Wins | 37 |
| Wins by KO | 26 |
| Losses | 20 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 0 |
Brian London, (born Brian Sidney Harper, 19 June 1934, in West Hartlepool, County Durham) is a retired English heavyweight boxer. He was British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion from 1958 to 1959, and twice challenged for the world heavyweight title, losing to Floyd Patterson in 1959 and Muhammad Ali in 1966. He was one of a quartet of British boxers, with Henry Cooper, Joe Erskine and Dick Richardson, who dominated the British boxing scene throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
An orthodox, rugged, no-nonsense fighter who lacked finesse but showed lots of courage, he was 6 ft tall and fought at about 14 st. 9 lbs. His nicknames in the ring were "The British Bulldog" and "The Blackpool Rock". He defeated a number of world-class and well-known fighters such as Zora Folley, Willie Pastrano, Pete Rademacher, Tom McNeeley, Roger Rischer, Joe Erskine, Amos Johnson, Billy Walker, Von Clay, Young Jack Johnson and Kitione Lave.
London was born in West Hartlepool, County Durham, in 1934, and moved to Blackpool when he was 16 years old, where he has lived ever since. His father, Jack London, beat Freddie Mills in 1944 to win the British heavyweight title. He also had a brother, Jack junior, who fought as a light-heavyweight. London fought as an amateur before turning professional in 1955. He made a good start to his career, winning his first twelve bouts, one of which was against RAF light heavyweight boxer Brian Wiltshire (UK) in 1951. He finally lost when he came up against Henry Cooper in May 1956. Cooper stopped him with a technical knockout in the first round. Following this defeat, London continued his winning run, apart from two ten-round point defeats, against Heinz Neuhaus in Dortmund, in 1957 and against the talented American, Willie Pastrano in February 1958.
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